Pressure vessel for liquids such as beer and other beverages



June 20, 1950 M. VAN MARWIJK KoolJ ET AL 2,512,105

PRESSURE vEssEL RoR LIQUIDE SUCH As BEER AND OTHER BEVERAGES Filed may s, 194e E J @E GII Patented June 20, 1950 PRESSURE .VESSEL FOR LVIQUIDS SUCH AS BEERAND OTHER/BEVERAGES Marinus van Marwijk Kooij, De Bilt, and Albert H.. Stomps,;Utrecht, Netherlands Application May 8, 1946, SerialNo. 668g144 The invention relates .toa pressure vessel for liquids such as beer and other beverages.

Barrels of wood possess the disadvantage of being liable to shrinkage and swelling as a consequence of which they start leaking. Furthermore the wood offers opportunity to bacteria to multiply.

In order to do VVaway with this drawback manufacturers have treated the inner side of wooden barrels with, pitch andA coated them with an insulating layer. However, due to the shrinkage and swelling this method is not entirely satisfactory.

An important progress already was the application of the glassbottle which can be better sterilized internally. lThis bottle can Abe used in coffeehouses and restaurants as well as by private persons. `In these bottles there is a superatmospheric kpressure of about 1.3 atmospheres so that dispensing or tapping is possible by means of an adequate cock without utilization of carbonio acid cylinders and beerpipes.

The said glass bottles, however, need a surrounding basket so as to prevent the danger of ying splinters in the event of bursting. Besides, the weight is very high: for a volume of liters of beer the weight is approximately 'l kg. Moreover, owing to the excessive height these bottles cannot be stored in the usual refrigerators. Moreover, both` the above mentioned barrels and the latter bottles require a large storing space when being conveyed, which space can only be partially used.

The invention now obviates these objections, makes theV use of beerpipes with their objectionable cleaning superuous Vv(as with the glass bottles) and possesses a great number of important advantages. It isc. g. possible to pile the vessels vembodying the invention in such a manner that the storing space is practically iully used or filled. Besides, the weight is small; 5 liters of beer can be contained in a vessel weighing not more than about 2 kg. Moreover, the vessels according to the invention can be placed in the usual refrigerators.

The invention is characterized in that the vessel has more or less the shape of a parallelepiped or cube and is manufactured of thermoplastic material. According to the invention the wall near which the tapping opening or outlet is positioned may be provided with an inwardly protruding substantially half-cylindrical cavity or recess.

Besides, according to the invention the upper wall may be provided with a downwardly di- 3c1aims. (o1. 222-540) rected more or less Ahalf-cylindrical cavity or recess extending from the-front wall to or Vslightly beyond the center of the upper wall. Also, according to the invention the inwardly protruding cavity or recessmay be provided with a protecting shield opposite or near the tapping opening, the-external surface. of such .shield being flush with thefront Wall.

According to .the invention the downwardly directed cavity may be providedk with a crossmember situated vin or adjacent to the centre of the topwall, lthe surface of said cross-member beingflush with the vouter surface of the upperwall.

Finally the vessel'according to the invention Amay be provided with internal reinforcing ribs or plates.

When applying the invention not only a fineappearing but-above all a pre-eminently practical unit is obtained which -is very strong, light and hygienic and `can be easily `handled and conveyed. Owing to L-the Yhalf-cylindrical cavity in thefrontwall tapping or dispensing of the liquidv is facilitated very much because the drinking glass to belled can be placed in a-n upright position under the countersunk tapping-cock or spout. Owing to the shape of the glass bottles the drinking-glass is to be kept in a slanting position when being lled. The protecting shield prevents damage of the `tapping-cock during transport. The half-cylindrical cavity in the topwall with a crossmember whichserves as a handle facilitates the handling and displacement of the vessel largely. Though the tensile strength kof the material used is very high the internal re-inforcing ribs or plates may be of great use in view of the overpressure. With a certain super-atmospheric pressure these reinforcing .elements allow for a smaller wall thickness. Owing'to the lack of protruding parts the piling and stowage is possible without lost space.

As thermoplastic materials are to be considered e. g. polysterols, superpolyamides, polyvinyl compositions and the like. The application of transparent, possibly coloured materials may also be useful.

By way of elucidation an embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section perpendicular to the frontwall.

Fig. 2 is a front view and Fig. 3 a plan view.

As appears from the drawings the vessel according to this embodiment consists of a hollow cube with rounded olf corners or edges. Adjacent to the frontwall I there is a tapping or dispensing device 2 consisting of a vertical tube 3 with its opening near the bottom 4 of the vessel. The tapping device 2 furthermore is provided with a valve 5 which can be operated or screwed up and down by means of the knob 6.

Owing to the pressure of the carbonio acid in the vessel when the valve 5 is open the beer is forced out of the vessel through the discharge tube or spout I. The end 8 of the discharge tube I is positioned within the outer surface of the frontwall I in an internally extending halfcylindrical cavity or recess 9.

So as to prevent damage of the tapping device' 2, opposite or near this device a protecting shield I 0 is arranged, the outer surface of which is iiush with the frontwall I. In the upperwall H there is a downwardly sloping cavity or recess AI2 provided with@l cross-member I3, serving as a handle. The outer surface of this cross-memrber is flush with the external side of the upperwall II.

The interior of the vessel is provided with reinforcing ribs, ridges or plates I4, thus materially increasing the strength of the unit with a certain wall thickness. In order to permit complete- 1y emptying the vessel the vertical tube 3 terminates near the bottom 4 of the vessel, whereas this bottom 4 is slanting towards the front side. Finally in this bottom 4 near the rear wall I5 an aperture ,with la screw cap I6 is provided for cleaning purposes.

In the drawings the pressure vessel is shown by way of example as having the form of a cube. In practice generally the form` of a parallelepiped may be chosen, e. g. so that the height will be about twice the length and the width.

In manufacture the unit can be cast in two, three or four parts which are welded together. When making the vessel .out of four pieces the two central parts will be equal. One or two of `said central parts can be applied at will or a vessel without intermediate parts can be manufactured according to the desire of making a higher or lower vessel.

We claim:

1. A container for liquids having gas under pressure therein comprising a body of plastic material generally in the form of a parallelepiped, said body having a vertically extending hemicylindrical recess in one portion of the vertical wall structure, a, downwardly directed discharge spout lying wholly within the recess and being located near the top thereof, a shield bridging the recess in protective relation to the spout and lying flush with the main outer contours of the body, a, standpipe connecting said spout to the interior Aof said body near the bottom thereof and a valve controlling iiow through said standpipe and spout.

2. A container for liquids having gas under pressure therein comprising a hollow body of plastic material generally in the form of a rectangular prism, said body having a vertically extending recess in one portion of its vertical wall structure, a downwardly directed discharge spout lying wholly within the recess and being 'located near the top thereof, a standpipe connecting said spout to the interior of said body near the bottom thereof, a valve controlling the iiow through said standpipe and spout, said body having a recess in the top surface thereof and a member bridging said recess to lprovide a carrying handle, said bridging member lying ush with the main top surface of the body so that the contours convenient for storage are not deleteriously modified, the operating portion of the valve lying in said recess.

3. A container for liquids having gas under pressure therein comprising fa hollow body of plastic material generally in the form of a parallelepiped, said body having a vertically extending recess in one portion of the vertical wall structure, a downwardly directed discharge spout lying wholly within the recess and being located near the top thereof, the inner surface of the bottom wall of said body sloping downwardly in the direction of the recess, a standpipe connecting said spout to the interior of said body near the lowest point of the inner bottom surface and a valve controlling the ow through said standpipe and spout, said bottom being provided with a drain plug in the area of the highest point of the inner bottom surface.

M. VAN MARWIJK KOOIJ. A. H. STOMPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the l'ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Scharff Jan. 14, 1947 

